I am a scale person

[mime]

I believe everyone has to find what works for them, and for me it daily weighing. I have gone for periods where I have tried not weighing, and inevitably these are the times I put on weight. I have a tremendous denial system and my clothes stretch! Even on one of my past eating plans that was based on just eating well -- I really thought I was doing well and losing. When I went on the scale I had actually been gaining weight.

I also take my measurements since decreasing my size is what I am after. I read the books by Dr. Oz and Roisen and realize how important my waist size is.

I look at the scale & measuring as a way to acknowledge my health -- the same as when I check my blood pressure. I remind myself it is a way to understand how my body works and I try to be objective. It is probably apparent I am older (I don't know if anyone younger who is checking their blood pressure) I am early 50. I am scared, I had abnormal blood work that showed I was extremely high risk for heart disease, plus higher blood pressure. I wondered how did this happen to me? I who used to be so thin and athletic? The years creep on you, bad habits take their toll and as I said I have had a big time denial system in place. I have a habit of picturing myself thinner than I am, and when I see a photo or look in a mirror while shopping for clothes I get a big shock!

Well this is what I have found out about myself, I need to weight myself to stay accountable and to give myself a reality check. It isn't only a matter of wanting to look better now, it is a matter of preventing health problems.

[mjn]

I agree with you totally, others might not. I weigh daily to keep myself in check. I think it is a healthy and prudent thing to do.

[gingercake]

I'm a scale person, too. Somehow I'm able to just see it as data and not a judgment on my person, and it helps keep my denial in check. I've also started measuring my waist regularly, too, to have that other measure. I think when it comes to this stuff, if you can see them as neutral tools they can really be useful. I have gone through phases (like when I was on weight watchers) when I was weighing myself neurotically and constantly...not good...and I had to force myself to knock it off. Now I'm back to where I can use them and not let them do a number on me.

[blueskighs]

Curiously, since I have started monitoring my bodyfat I have started a daily chart with my abdomen and hip measurments and weight. This gives me a "ball park" as to where I am going.

When I have weight fluctations I can see that some of it is muscle gain.

I beleive Reinhard refers to this as "scientific weighing"

weighing used to be emotionally fraught for me, but now that I am focussing on bodyfat it has become just a piece of information, I am not so much interested in how much I weight, but where my body fat is.

I am studying some weight lifting stuff and the author does that keeps a chart with just abdomen and wieght, I add hip. I thought I would try it. I don't think I could have done this when i first started No S. For me it was more important to just get my habits and not focus so much in numbers.

So far it is just interesting, but I am also not trying to reach a certain goal weight. Since right now I am gradually gaining muscle and losing fat I am not seeing huge change in my weight, the numbers are changing in my measurments and body fat.

Blueskighs

[BrightAngel]

I believe everyone has to find what works for them, and for me it daily weighing.

This is what I have found out about myself, I need to weight myself to stay accountable and to give myself a reality check.

It isn't only a matter of wanting to look better now, it is a matter of preventing health problems.

This is also true of me. I am also a "scale" person.

The scale is just a tool of measurement.
The basic scale doesn't distinguish between fat weight and salt/water/waste weight.

The scale isn't a Judge. It doesn't reward or punish.
When reward or punishment are connected to the scale,
it is something we choose to do to ourselves...usually this is because

• we expect faster Results for our Efforts; or
  we don't want to admit the Truth of our eating behavior; or
  we simply don't choose to Learn how to understand and effectively use that tool.

The scale's results are always simply the objective truth of what one's total body weighs....at that time.

I have found that, for the most part, it isn't the Scale that people don't like,
it is the Truth that the scale reflects.

[fkwan]

My behavior is still too erratic to go without the scale. Perhaps if I had weighed myself every day when I switched jobs and daily atmospheres I would not have had to re-lose 20 pounds.

When I reach my ideal weight range, however, I hope No S habits will make visits to the scale every day less obligatory.

f

[kccc]

Like many of you, I used to weigh daily, and couldn't envision not doing so.

That was because it was the only metric I had that I trusted.

Now I trust "days on habit," and am comfortable with that. I will say that comfort level happened only after I'd been doing No-S long enough to believe that it really does work for me.

But the opening phrase is right on target:

I believe everyone has to find what works for them...

If you need to weigh, by all means do it. (And Rose offers a particularly great example of tracking the scale in a productive way.) If you don't want to, don't.

Either way, it's not part of the "No S" dogma.

[CatholicCajun]

I am a scale persone, too. I find that daily weigh ins keeps me in line. But that is just my opinion of what works for me. Hopefully one day a daily weigh in will not matter as much. Have a blessed day.

[mime]

I have found that, for the most part, it isn't the Scale that people don't like,
it is the Truth that the scale reflects.

I think this statement was true of me, when I didn't like what I saw on the scale, I would think this is just too stressful and stop using the scale. Not wanting to use the scale (for me) is probably a red flag that I need to stop and be accountable for what is going on, or another weight gain is on the way.

[3aday]

I used to weigh daily.
I can't tell you the last time I weighed myself.
I too, focus on "days on habit" myself.
When I finally committed to No S after a year and half of trying...I didn't lose.
Then out of nowhere, I started to lose body size and for me, that is enough.

But, I respect that we are all different. My dear friend has lost weight so much faster than I have on a counting plan and the plan works for her. Personally, I can't eat the quantity of high volume low calorie/fat free food that she does anymore. I would rather eat half a cheeseburger and go on with my day and not think about it anymore. You can't pay me to count anything anymore. Well, except money (which I never seem to have!)

[navi]

3aday, I'm with you! no measuring & accounting for me, ever again! I have been doing shovelglove & modified noS (I have a "one bite of sweet after every meal" rule during the week, regular noS on weekends - keeps me happy & prevents sugar binges on weekends) for about 3 months now. I have not lost significant weight (I would like to lose about 30 pounds ultimately), but my arms look great in short sleeves now, my clothes fit better, and I feel great! Most importantly I don't think about food at all until I get hungry, then I eat it! No binges, no obsessing.....today there are homemade brownies at work - i am saving one out, & having a bite a lunch, a bite at dinner - eating this way i feel NO deprivation whatsoever, and my favorite part is actually being HUNGRY before i eat - it makes food taste so much better! anyhow, i finally weighed myself this week, and i have only lost 5 pounds in 3 months. BUT i have gained muscle (shovelglove), and i looked in the mirror & decided that i look good, it will come off slowly, & i just don't care how fast the scale moves. For me this way of eating represents freedom from the scales, freedom from food obsession, and focusing on more important things in life.